I have just recently gotten up-to-speed on the second season of The Tudors, having watched the finale yesterday. While I have enjoyed the whole series tremendously, it does engender a great many questions.

To my mind this is part of the genius of the show; for even when it takes enormous liberties with history, it is still makes for a compelling story. Much like Frank Miller’s 300, both of them sharing a common conception of historical drama as “one fifth history, and four-fifths something that looks cool”.

TANGENTIALLY RELATED: James Frain’s portrayal of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, is all the go. A strikingly complex and humane portrait of a man that is usually portrayed as a one-dimensional evil henchman. It will be a shame to see this Cromwell ascend the scaffold.

EVEN MORE TANGENTIAL: Natalie Dormer interviewed in the Daily Mail, with a plethora of fetching pictures.